Life's Little Pleasures

How hard is it to embrace and enjoy beautiful views in the Grand
Canyon National Park, Pena National Palace in Portugal, or the Great Barrier
Reef near Heron Island in Australia? I am going to boldly say that it is really
not that hard as each and every single one of them is breathtaking. This is why
I would like to talk about something that I considered one of life’s smaller pleasures,
but is it really?

Not everyday we are able to treat ourselves to an impressive
holiday abroad under palm trees, buy jaw dropping shoes from Jimmy Choo, or
even go for a fancy dining experience in a newly open chic restaurant that
everyone is talking about. How does this limited experience of what is
considered a big pleasure/big treat compares to the ones considered a small
one? How small are they really if we can enjoy them everyday and as often as we
open ourselves to experiencing them?

What are my small pleasures? Or in other words what gives me
enjoyment, amusement and satisfaction on a daily basis?

My family taught me to celebrate and appreciate every moment, even
those not ordinarily considered special by others. I remember summers where I
did not go for fancy holidays abroad. Each summer for almost 15 years I spent
helping out in the garden with my grandfather. I would watch my family building
up a plastic greenhouse where later we would harvest tomatoes.

Once we worked all morning trying to catch all the potato beetles over
our crops. During the break as I was sitting on the grass, my grandfather
called me over for the season’s first tomatoes. We sprinkled some salt over them
and as I was biting into the fruit I just focused on the incredible smell,
taste and flavor. I am not going to lie and say that this was a life changing
second but it did imprint deep inside my mind to stop, take a break, and enjoy
the moment.

My life now is full of little pleasures like the time when I had
the first tomato of the new season. I decided not to wait to be happy only when
I travel, or when I am at the edge of the Grand Canyon. I find pleasure,
something that makes my life just slightly more thrilling every day.

One of my friends each time when I see her says how much she would
like to enjoy everyday as I do. She means my travels. What she does not notice
is that as much as I do travel I also have days, weeks, months where I am in
Aberdeen working, cooking dinners, cleaning my bathroom, washing dishes,
dusting, separating whites from blacks for washing etc. I am refusing to sit
and wait for a few months till something amazing happens that eventually will
bring me joy. Instead I find it in regular things.

I was wondering if I would give away all of the little life’s
pleasures for the rest of my life. For example if someone would offer me a
fully paid, exclusive trip around the world where I would be able to see all the
world’s magnificent places, sights, and cultures under one condition that
nothing ordinary would ever bring me joy again. I do not believe I would agree
because that would be like striping my life from happiness there and then. I
would always want more, and at some point there would be nothing else
magnificent left in the world for me to enjoy. I would see it all, experience
it all, and could not feel joy anymore.

Let me know what you think about life’s little pleasures in the comments
below. Would you take the deal at the expense of simple pleasures?

Share your thoughts :

Iga, I very much agree with you! We really tend to forget to experience the "now". I'm always looking forward to the next big thing and sometimes the week has passed in a blink of an eye because you forget to actually live and enjoy. We shall all learn from you and focus on what's now.

Hello, thank you for stopping by! Did you manage to enjoy the 'now' moment anytime this week? I have to say that for me it was slightly difficult to do so as I am currently ill. However there is no such a thing that hot water bottle, tea, and duvet could not conquer! Iga x

I think life is all about those little and simple pleasures and it took me years before I finally started to appreciate them! I loved reading about the memories of you and your grandfather working together in the garden, I used to do the same thing when I was a kid, except we were planting strawberries and picking cherries!

Hello, I never was allowed to plant strawberries because I was rather a clumsy child. I believe everyone knew that! However I did pick cherries until this one time when I actually unintentionally damaged cherry tree. It's a funny story to talk about when we meet now but my grandpa was terrified at the time when he noticed me falling down with a tree! Iga x

This is wonderful Iga, such a great sentiment I think we can all take for granted sometimes. That first cup of coffee in the morning, lazy well-deserved Sunday lie ins, a perfect pastry, clean sheets, a new candle to burn. Little things but every one makes me feel special and happy!